Taking part in the meeting were Presidential Aide Alexei Dyumin, Presidential Aide Nikolai Patrushev, Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Alexander Moiseyev, President – Chairman of VTB Bank Management Board Andrei Kostin, and General Director of the United Shipbuilding Corporation Andrei Puchkov.
* * *
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues,
Today, we have gathered in St Petersburg, Russia’s historical naval capital on the Baltic Sea, to discuss the strengthening and further development of the Navy, outline our priorities for the future, and take a closer look at the development of our shipbuilding in the broad sense of the word.
I would like to note that we are always paying close attention to the improvement of our Navy. As you know, recently, in late March, we launched a new multipurpose submarine Perm in Severodvinsk. We also discussed many important issues pertaining to the development of our fleets, social assistance to sailors and their families, and the modernisation of our naval bases and infrastructure of military settlements, which is especially important for our Arctic territories.
I would like to emphasise that the Navy has played and continues to play a crucial role in ensuring Russia's defence and security, as well as protecting its national interests at sea. Our vessels must be able to effectively fulfil the entire range of tasks set for them now and in the future.
In recent years, we have been implementing a large-scale Navy modernisation programme. From Kaliningrad to Vladivostok, Russia's shipyards are engaged in the serial production of both surface ships and new missile submarines, including the state-of-the-art Project Borei-A and Project Yasen-M vessels. Significant funds have been allocated for this.
Over the past five years, 49 ships of various classes have been built, and from 2020 to 2024, to this date, four Project Borei-A strategic submarines and four Project Yasen-M multipurpose submarines have been commissioned.
At the same time, it is evident that the dynamics of the changing global situation, the emergence of new challenges and threats, including those in maritime domains, as well as the vigorous technological and digital revolution, robotisation, and the widespread implementation of unmanned systems – all these necessitate the formation of a new profile for the Navy.
In this regard, it is crucial to define the prospective characteristics and balanced composition of the fleet, while assessing the capabilities of scientific and industrial potential in designing and constructing new warships and support vessels.
In this context, I consider it imperative to emphasise the importance of systematically and consistently developing all components of the Navy, including submarine and surface ship groups, naval aviation, coastal missile and artillery troops, as well as support systems.
Undoubtedly, one of our priority tasks is to strengthen the domestic fleet in its key segment of strategic nuclear forces, which serve as the most important guarantee of Russia’s security and the preservation of global balance.
In this connection, I must note that the share of modern armaments and equipment in Russia’s maritime strategic nuclear forces has already reached 100 percent. I underscore that this indicator must be maintained in the future.
Alongside this, we must continue and expand the serial production of modern vessels across various classes. These must be equipped with advanced technology, including high-precision and hypersonic weaponry, robotic systems, and possess new-generation control, reconnaissance, communication, radar, hydroacoustic, and navigation systems.
I previously mentioned the Perm, a multipurpose submarine launched on March 27 this year. It has become the first submarine armed with Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. This alone demonstrates the emergence of such elements within our strategic nuclear forces. What is the range of the Zircon?
Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Alexander Moiseyev: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, over 1,000 kilometres.
Vladimir Putin: Over 1,000. And speeds approaching Mach 10. This is effectively a weapon capable of fulfilling strategic-level missions.
At the same time, the training programmes for military sailors should draw on modern strategies and tactics of warfare, including the experience of the special military operation.
I would like to note that 8.4 trillion rubles have been allocated to build new warships for the Navy over the next decade, and these funds should be taken into consideration when drafting the state armament programme. I just had a separate discussion with the Finance Minister before this meeting; this is a matter of principle, these funds have been provided for, but this will depend on the Navy development programme. This is exactly what we will focus on today.
We also need to objectively assess the capabilities of Russia’s shipbuilding, instrument-making, machine-tool and other related industries and fully implement all the instructions that were given earlier, including those following the meeting on shipbuilding development held on June 26 last year.
As we agreed, special attention should be paid to pricing issues in shipbuilding and the development of Russian components and equipment.
A separate and fundamental factor for the qualitative development of the Navy, both today and in the future, is the development and production of domestic ship-based unmanned aerial systems and marine robotic systems, as well as the serial production of unmanned submerged and surface boats.
At the same time, all these systems operating in the air, under water and on the surface must be closely integrated into a single reconnaissance and strike circuit and linked to our satellite constellation.
To reiterate, these advanced technological solutions and the balanced development of the Navy in all strategic areas will enable us to effectively address our security and defence tasks and defend our interests in the World Ocean and in the context of global geopolitical and technological changes.
Let’s get down to work.
<… >